Ventilator



vAug. 22, 1944. n H.- R. LARsl-:N

VENTILATOR Filed April 29, 1942 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 22, 1944 VENTILATOR Holger R. Larsen, Brooklyn,N. Y., assignor to J. J. Fisher Co. Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporationof New York Appiicann April 29, 1942, serial No. 441,041

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to ventilators and has particular relationto a system of adjust-- able lcuver-dampers of sheet metal construction,intended primarily for use in connection with a conventional ventilatorprovided with stationary or xed louvers.

Louver ventilators presently in use are, in general, of two conventionaltypes, i. e. (i) the static-nary or fixed louver type in which alllouver vanes are secured immovably at a xed angle, and (2) theadjustable'or movable type in which all louver vanes are pivoted at theends and can be adjusted to various angles by means of operatingdevices. Under certain circumsteances, it is desirable to control thevolume of air admitted through or exhausted from a conventional,stationary type of louver. Accordingly, in order to accomplish suchadjustment, the conventional solution has been the installation ofhinged shutters in back of the louver unit, wherever accessibility andavailable space permitted of such installation. Inaccessible locations,such as vent ducts, or where space could not be found, no adequate meansof air control has been employed.

The present invention has for one of its objects to obviate the abovementioned diiculties and contemplates a damper unit, consisting of aseries of auxiliary vanes or blades installed in back of a conventionalstationary lo-uver. Said damper blades are arranged in spaced parallelrelation and are secured to each other by metal straps, so as to permitall of the blades to move upwardly or downwardly simultaneously, thusopening or closing the fixed air-spaces between the vanes of theconventional, stationary louver, and providing, when closed, a positivewater seal against driving rain or snow.

The present invention further contemplates, as another object thereof,an operating or adjustment device revolving upon a xed center aroundwhich an eccentric slot engages the operating arm in such manner as topermit the damper blades to remain in any desired position, from fullyopen to fully closed, without the use of gearing or counterbalancingfeatures.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from thefollowing description of typical embodiments of the invention shown 3 isa View similar to Fig. 2 with the damper unit shown in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rear elevation, on a larger scale, of the damperunit showing the operating arm and adjusting device;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on line 5 5 of Fig. l, showing aconventional, stationary louver, having the damperV unit installed in asliding groove attached to the louver frame.

As shown in the drawing, a vertical series of sheet metal damper blades"I are held together horizontally and in spaced parallel relation bymeans of two vertical metal bands S which operate in grooves 9a ofvertical members 9 at tached to the back of the frame F of a conven'tional, stationary louver ventilator i@ or in other manner acceptable tothe purpose. Said Ventilator comprises a series of vertically spacedstationary louver blades lila inclined upwardly and rearwardly from thefront of ventilator frame to the rear thereof. Said blades are made ofsheet metal and each has at its front and rear ends downwardly andupwardly extending flanges Ib and Ido, respectively. VThe free endportion of each of said flanges is reilexed inwardly to provide theinwardly projecting lips Illd and Iile on flanges tec and iSd,respectively. It will be understood that louver blades Illa, extendhorizontally for the full width of the frame and that flanges Ib and Icand their lips Iild and Ille are coextensive in length with theircompanion louver blades.

Each damper blade I has a lower flat planar flange I I inclinedforwardly and downwardly at the same angle as louver blades Illa., theupper surfaces of said flanges II being parallel to the lower surfacesof blades 'I. Flanges II extend for the full lengths of their companionblades 1. Said flanges abut the lower surfaces of the adjacent louverblades Illa, when the damper is in open position as shown in Fig. 2.When the damper is closed, as shown in Fig. 3, said blades 'I close thespaces between adjacent blades |00. at the rear of the Ventilator andthe flanges II -provide a water-shedding structure. In addition to thewater-shedding function of flanges I I, the latter functions toreinforce their companion blades 'I.

An operating arm I2 is riveted or otherwise secured to two or more ofthe damper blades 1, at approximately the middle of their length. Anengaging pin I3 is attached to the free end of the operating arm I2 insuch manner as to be perpendicular to same. Pressure exerted on theengaging pin I3 in an upward direction will cause the entire connectedseries of damper blades 1 to slide upwards in a unit simultaneously,thereby opening the air-spaces in the conventional louver unit I 0.Reversing the direction of pressure will cause the damper blades 'I toslide downward, thus closing the aforementioned air-spaces.

An adjustment device consisting of a heavy metal plate I4, provided withan opening lever arm I and a closing lever arm I6, revolves about afixed center I'I through which passes a bolt I8 acting as a pivot pinand securing the adjustment device I4 to the bottom flange ISa of thelouver I D. The metal plate of the adjustment device I4 has, piercedthrough its thickness, an eccentric slot I 9 into which is inserted theengaging pin I3 of the operating arm I2. Operating chains 2! depend fromopening arm I5 and closing arm I6 by means of which the desired positionof the damper blades I can be obtained. It will be observed that pin I3is disposed centrally of the lengths of blades 1 and above pivot pin I8in all vertical positions of adjustment of said blades 'I. By reason ofthis construction and arrangement adjusting plate I4 remains at alltimes in the adjusted position to which it is turned and requires nofastening to hold it in its adjusted position.

It will be understood that the sliding motion contemplated in opening orclosing the air spaces between the fixed louver vanes is not subject toclogging from ice and snow that, when closed, driving rain will owforward and outside rather than in back of the louver, and that theelimination of pivots and hinged operating rods will reduce all noiseand rattle caused by wind and vibration. It will be understood, thatinsectexcluding screens (not shown) may be attached directly to the backof the sliding blades without interfering with the operating device.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodiedotherwise than as herein shown or described and that in the illustratedembodiment certain changes in the detail of construction and in thearrangement of parts may be made. Therefore, I do not wish to be limitedto the invention as herein specifically shown or described except to theextent which may be required by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a ventilator comprising a frame having a plurality of verticallyspaced louver blades inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front tothe rear of said frame and extending continuously from the front of saidframe to the rear thereof, a damper unit mounted on said frame at therear thereof for sliding movement vertically of said frame from an upperposition in which the ventilator is open to a lower position in whichthe ventilator is closed, said damper unit comprising a plurality ofVvertically spaced blades having vertical portions for closing thespaces between adjacent louver blades at the back of the ventilator, insaid lower position of said damper unit, and provided with dat planarflanges inclined and projecting forwardly and downwardly from the lowerends of said vertical portions, the upper surfaces of said flanges beingparallel to the lower surfaces of said louver blades.

2. In a ventilator comprising a frame having a plurality of verticallyspaced louver blades inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front tothe rear of said frame and having upwardly extending vertical flanges attheir rear ends, respectively, a damper unit mounted on said frame atthe rear thereof for sliding movement vertically of said frame from anupper position in which the ventilator is open to a lower position inwhich the ventilator is closed, said damper unit comprising a pluralityof vertically spaced blades having vertical portions for closing thespaces between adjacent louver blades at the back of the ventilator, insaid lower position of said damper unit, said vertical portionsoverlapping said vertical flanges, respectively, of the louver bladeslsaid damper blades having flat planar flanges inclined and projectingforwardly and downwardly from the lower ends of said vertical portions,the upper surfaces of said flanges being parallel to the lower surfacesof said louver blades and abutting the lower surfaces of said inclinedlouver blades when the damper unit is in open position.

3. In a ventilator which is provided with a frame and a plurality ofvertically spaced louver blades fixed in said frame, a damper unitcomprising a plurality of vertically spaced blades slidably mounted insaid frame, each of said blades having a vertical portion and a portioninclined downwardly and forwardly from said vertical portion forengagement with the upper edge of a companion louver blade, meansmounted in said frame for adjusting said damper unit, in said frame, andmeans fixed to said damper unit centrally thereof in non-movablerelation thereto and depending therefrom for engagement by said meansfor adjusting said damper unit.

HOLGER R. LARSEN.

